Areas of Expertise
- Social Sustainability in Architecture
- Affordable Housing Design
- Neighborhood Sustainability Assessment
- User Wellbeing in the Built Environment
- Participatory and Community-Based Urban Design
- Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE)
- Environmental Psychology in Architectural Contexts
- Phenomenology and Spatial Experience
- Theory of Architecture and Critical Design Thinking
- Bottom-up and Participatory Design Methods
Education
- PhD in Architecture – University of Reading, United Kingdom
- MA in Architecture and Critical Theory – University of Nottingham, United Kingdom
- BSc in Architecture – University of Bahrain, Bahrain
Biography
Dr Omaima Alabbasi is a seasoned architect and academic with extensive expertise in architecture, sustainability, and social well-being. She holds a B.Sc in Architecture from the University of Bahrain, an MA in Architecture and Critical Theory from the University of Nottingham, UK, and a PhD in Architecture from the University of Reading, UK. Her research delves into the interplay between architecture and the social, psychological, and cultural dynamics of space, focusing on how these factors shape and are shaped by the built environment.
Dr Omaima’s research centers on harmonizing bottom-up and top-down approaches to neighborhood sustainability assessment, with a specific emphasis on community-led post-occupancy evaluations. She has actively participated in international initiatives, including the UNESCO World Heritage nomination for Bahrain’s Pearling path, the Mapping Echo Social Value Assets (MESA) project in the UK, and the development of the sustainability vision for Reading 2050 in Reading Borough, UK.
A Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) in the UK, Dr Omaima brings 15 years of teaching experience, specializing in courses such as Basic Design, Theory of Architecture, Architectural Design, and Landscape Design. Her ongoing dedication to neighborhood social sustainability and community engagement continues to shape her academic and professional pursuits.
Achievements
- Secured second place in the Competition of Enhancing Outdoor Spaces Cooling in Bahrain, organized by the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture in collaboration with the University of Bahrain and Bahrain Polytechnic.
- Contributed to the development of the winning proposal for the Hamad Town Walkway Cooling Solution, which was endorsed for pilot implementation and entered the documentation, tendering, and execution planning phase.
- Led the design of a passive cooling brick system, currently under patent review and under consideration for commercialization in collaboration with Mumtalakat (Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund).
- Presented academic work in national and international conferences related to neighbourhood sustainability, social sustainability, and architectural pedagogy.
- Participated in the Mapping Echo Social Value Assets (MESA) project in the UK with leading academic partners.
- Engaged in the Reading 2050 Vision project, contributing to the sustainability agenda of Reading Borough, UK.
- Contributed to the successful nomination of the Pearling Path in Muharraq, Bahrain, to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
- Appointed Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), UK, in recognition of excellence in teaching and learning in higher education.
- Over 15 years of teaching experience across undergraduate architecture programs.
- Contributed to the development and enhancement of the architecture curriculum across undergraduate, master's, and PhD programs.
- Participated in the preparation and submission of national quality assurance documents, including alignment with the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) and the development of documentation for NAAB equivalency recognition.
- Supervised and mentored numerous graduation projects in the Architecture and Landscape Architecture bachelor programs, with a focus on social sustainability and user-centered design, including award-winning student work.
Affiliations
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Grants & Contracts Awarded
- Secured funding and institutional support from the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture for the project titled Hamad Town Walkway 1209 Cooling Solution, awarded second place in the national Competition of Enhancing Outdoor Spaces Cooling in Bahrain.
Publications & Presentations
- Optimizing Community Participation for Socially Sustainable Spaces: A Framework for Sensible Design" – Abstract proposal submitted for presentation at the 2nd International Conference on Inspiration and Innovation Design Trends (IIDT 2025), Track 2: Design, Culture, Environment, and Behavior.
